Your Right to Know

The Republican presidential nomination might be effectively decided by then, but
Ohio GOP voters will have six candidates to choose from during their party’s primary election on
March 6.

Secretary of State Jon Husted today certified six potential Republican
challengers to President Barack Obama for the GOP primary ballot.

Appearing on Ohio’s GOP ballot will be former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, as
well as U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Texas Gov. Rick Perry,
former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.

Obama will be the lone Democrat on that party’s primary card in Ohio.

Romney, the first Republican to win both the Iowa and New Hampshire nominating
contests since 1976, could have the nomination all-but sewn up should he win in South Carolina on
Jan.21, pundits have said. By the time Ohio and other states vote in primaries on Super Tuesday,
the remaining competitors’ best available option could be to siphon off some of the delegates
available in each state — something that will be more difficult for Santorum in Ohio.

Santorum's campaign did not file delegates in Ohio’s 6th, 9th and 13th
congressional districts, making him ineligible for nine of the state’s 48 congressional delegates.
There are 66 total delegates in play in Ohio for the Republican Party’s national nominating
convention in August.

Generally, the 6th District covers large portions of Ohio’s Appalachian region
in the eastern part of the state, the 9th District runs from Toledo to Cleveland along Lake Erie,
and the 13th District stretches from Youngstown west to include portions of Akron.

The five other Republican candidates and Obama were certified to compete for
delegates in each congressional district.